Realisations
by Shira1111
Summary: Based on the thought "Robin will probably have a heart attack if Guy ever manages to leave his darkness behind". What happens when Robin follows Guy and realises that there is a different side to the Black Knight? Can he cope with that new knowledge? One-shot


English isn't my first language and I only had an automatic spellchecker, not a proof reader, so please beware the mistakes that are certainly still lurking in the dark.  
I hope you enjoy this little story and would be grateful for any kind of input.

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After a fight with Gisborne and his men, that was just like any other, except for the fact that it ended with Gisborne taking back part of the stolen goods and retreating, rather than trying to kill him, Robin decided to follow him. He wanted to know why Gisborne left his men to lose the fight without really trying and seemingly not caring about it.  
It wasn't long before they reached the borders to Locksley, or more specific a small house with a vegetable garden and a family of pigs in a small enclosure to the right. Whoever lived there was better off then many other peasants, but still only a peasant. He would soon learn why they hadn't been robbed of everything.  
When Gisborne slowed down and jumped of his horse, Robin took shelter behind a thick shrubbery in hearing distance. He watched as Gisborne secured his horse to a post and the door opened to reveal a beautiful woman with long, blond hair. Robin couldn't remember her from his youth and came to the conclusion that she must have moved here after he had gone to the Holy Land, but he did remember her in the way of having robbed her just this midday when she ventured into the forest. They took her jewelry and the bit of money she had, thinking her a visiting nobleman's daughter. How did a peasant came by such valuables? He was ripped out of his thoughts when the woman nearly jumped at Gisborne.

"Guy, you are back", she cried out and hugged him tightly, making Robin wait for the moment he would strike her for speaking out of turn. To his surprise, nothing like that happened. Instead, Gisborne smiled down at her and placed a kiss on the top of her head, while laying his arms around her.

"I told you I would be alright, Leila. He can rob me or the sheriff as much as he likes, give it back to the people, we take it from them and he steals it from us. It isn't leading anywhere. But I couldn't let him get away with stealing from you", he whispered, just loud enough that Robin could make out the words, although he had to question himself if he really understood him correctly. It appeared as if Gisborne cared for this woman..? No, that couldn't be. "I promised you I would bring it back, did I not?", Gisborne said darkly and withdrew himself from her, so he could turn around and reach for a small pouch Robin recognized as the one Gisborne fought him for. With a little bow and a smile that could only be described as playful he offered the pouch to her, but the woman had stopped smiling. She had used the few moments apart from him to take in his appearance. He had a small cut on his cheek, which had already stopped bleeding, his knuckles were bloody from the hand to hand fight with Robin and his clothes also told the story of their encounter.

"You are hurt...", she murmured, sounding sad because she felt responsible for his wound. She took the pouch without even looking at it, letting it slide into the pocket of her skirt. Instead, her fingers glided lightly, carefully over his cheek and the cut, as if to inspect it further. "Robin Hood?" From her lips, the name sounded like an insult, and when Gisborne nodded, Robin got another surprise. Leila pulled Gisborne into another hug, snuggling up to him and growling, "I hate him. Him and his oh so innocent Marian." It left Robin wondering what he had ever done to her, well except for the mugging today. He knew he shouldn't risk staying, but he hoped to get answers. Everybody loved Marian, so even if this Leila didn't like him, what reason did she have to hate Marian and... care... for Guy of Gisborne?

"Sh, Leila, it's alright. I wasn't careful enough, it will be healed before you know it." He held her closely and his left hand drew soothing circles on her back, while the right rested on her neck. Closing his eyes, he burrowed his nose in her hair and inhaled her scent. "I am just glad I found you before I fell for Marian. It is hard, pretending to be interested in her, and even harder not to show how obvious her ploy is. I don't want to image what it would be like if it weren't for you, my love. If I hadn't stumbled over you..."

"Or if I had been afraid of you. Don't forget that you wanted to kill me for standing in the way", she teased him. "But I trusted you not to be the monster everyone makes of you and didn't regret it." She looked up at him lovingly and started to play with the ends of his hair. "What would she have made you do to prove your love? Every time you came here after meeting her, I can see the hurt in your eyes." She put a finger to his lips when he wanted to protest. "I know you don't love her. Not anymore. Believe me, I do, you don't have to prove anything to me. But you wouldn't be the man I fell in love with if it didn't effect you to know that Marian willingly plays with the feelings you used to have. I just want to slap her whenever I think about how she is trying to break your heart." Having rested her head against Guy's chest again, she couldn't see the brilliant smile forming on the face of the Black Knight - but Robin could and he nearly didn't recognize his enemy, and grudgingly had to admit that he was rather handsome when he wasn't devils incarnate. And somehow, it appeared as if he had a heart.

"Don't be so harsh with her", Guy whispered and moved his fingers under her chin and tipped her head back, enabling him to give her a chaste kiss. But she wasn't satisfied with it and warped her arms around his neck, one hand taking hold of his head and pulling him back down for a more intense kiss. He gladly gave her what she sought out. When the kiss got more heated, they both pulled back, breathing notably heavier then before, and stared into each others eyes. He cupped her face with his hands and let his forehead come to rest against hers. "You can't be so strict with her. After all, what is the difference to what I am doing?" He really didn't want even more misdoings on his conscience. Doing the sheriff's bidding to keep his position was bad enough, but to protect Leila, he would do anything, even give up on everything he had worked for and run away with her, if the need should arise. But that wasn't the life he wanted for her. When all was over, he wanted to have enough resources so she would never be in need of anything.

"I apologize. I didn't mean to make it sound like that." She sighed, running a hand over his leather clad arm. "It is not the same. You both have your reasons to pretend to be interested in each other, I give her that. She wants to get information and distract you from Robin Hood, and you don't want someone to even suspect that there is someone else in your life. It's very thoughtful of you, to try and protect me from this conflict. But you knew what she wanted when we met, when you were still in love with her. You knew it wouldn't hurt her feelings if you kept pretending and she found out about it. You are even helping her with letting her believe that you are oblivious to her doings instead of chasing her away. You don't play with anybody's feelings." She was fully aware of the way he treated people, his cold and unforgiving side. But she also knew why he was that way, and having all those that call themselves good look down at him didn't help to change his behaviour.

During her little speech, Guy had closed his eyes. He couldn't bare to look at her, his saving angel. He was absolutely sure he didn't deserve her and didn't knew what he would do if he lost her. And so he did the only thing he could. He hold her in his arms, just standing still and enjoying her proximity. When his heart had slowed down again, he opened his eyes and looked at her with a softness no one else had ever seen on him. "Thank you", he muttered and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. "Thank you for believing in me." And another kiss followed, this time on her lips. She trustingly looked up to him.

"Guy? Will you stay for the night?" While Leila managed to sound altogether innocent, Robin's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Leila's hands had slowly lowered themselves from Gisborne's back onto his buttocks and she pressed herself against his lower body in a way that made her thoughts very obvious. Guy's eyes became darker and his voice got even deeper then it normally was when desire rushed through him.

"Of course I will, if you so wish. You only have to say the word and I'd do anything for you." He leaned his head down to nibble gently at her neck, which she further exposed to him. "And in this case, I am especially honored to be of service."

Robin decided then and there that he had to leave. He didn't care if they noticed him. Turning around and starting for the forest, he went faster with every step and ended up running the last small distance. Back in the forest, in relative safety, he stopped abruptly and let himself fall to the ground.  
What he just witnessed didn't make any sense. How could it be true? Accepting it would entail he had to accept that Guy of Gisborne, his worst enemy beside the sheriff, was a human being after all. It would mean that he had a heart, had feelings just like everybody else and was able to love. The last was he hardest part to accept. Gisborne loved that woman, there was no denying it. And she loved him. She loved the monster that didn't hesitate to kill on a word from the sheriff. The man who took money from those that were already poor, although the woman, Leila, certainly had a point. The money was circling from him to the peasants, got taken by the sheriffs henchmen and was taken back by him, who then started the circle again. No one was getting forward.

He let out a lifeless laugh. To find out that all the while Gisborne had been helping them in a way, by letting Marian continue with her ploy. To see the passion and love on his face when he held his woman in his arms. To know, just by looking at them, that they were happy and wouldn't care if the world ended around them... He couldn't handle it.  
He was still sitting there on the ground when it started to get dark and Much found him after searching for him since the end of the fight. When Much wanted to know what happened, Robin just stared at him, when he asked him to come back to the camp, he stood up and followed him.  
Entering the camp, Marian ran up to him to demand to know what stupidity he had done this time, but he flinched and couldn't look at her. Too fresh was the memory of Leila's words. Was she really cruel to Gisborne, did they see to it that he wouldn't change publicly with the way they acted?  
That night, the outlaws couldn't sleep. They were worried about their leader, who hadn't spoken a word since his return and just went to sleep after staring at them with hollow eyes.

Without even knowing it, Sir Guy of Gisborne had finally managed it - he had broken Robin Hood.

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Please leave a review - if only to point out any mistakes you found, I'll gladly correct them.


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